Friday, October 31, 2008

We had a fun first this week...Griffin got to go on his first field trip!!! They rode the bus to the Pumpkin Patch at Camp Hargis, and I got to go with him! It was such a fun day to spend with him and see him in his "element" at school. I think he was glad I was there, but most of the time he was running around and I was just trying to keep up! He has such a sweet class and I enjoyed seeing the other kids too!

Mrs. Branham's Class

Getting on the bus!

Playing around with some of the other boys...

Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows...

Going for a hayride!

They had storytime inside a teepee (all day he's been calling it all kinds of things..."j-pee, i-pee, etc...it's been cracking me up!) Petting a pony! His friend, Will, who sits at his table! With his good buddies, Chapel and Nicholas, having a cookie break! Wilkins, Griffin, and Kapil Nicholas and Griffin--this is one of his favorite friends!! What a great day!!!!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Those that know me well know I really hate conflict, and that I usually try to avoid it all costs. Which is why I'm a little surprised that I'm writing this post...it may be a little controversial.

On November 4, we have an enormous decision to make. I know for some people this decision is harder than others. There are so many issues that are discussed about the two candidates...I won't even try to list them. I've listened to the news for months now about each of these men, and honestly there are things I like and dislike about each of them. But, for me, as a follower of Christ, there is no way to get around one issue.

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do." -- Senator Barack Obama on 7/17/2007

What, exactly, is the Freedom of Choice Act? I googled it, and here's the definition from wikipedia:"The Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 3719/S. 2020) is a bill in the United States Congress which, if enacted, would abolish all restrictions and limitations on the right of women in the United States to have an abortion. Described by NARAL Pro-Choice America president Nancy Keenan as a bill to "codify Roe v. Wade,"[1] opponents of the bill assert that[2] that it would, if passed, invalidate every restriction on the abortion of a fetus before the stage of viability, even those previously found consistent with Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court, such as parental notification laws, waiting periods, requirements of full disclosure of the physical and emotional risks inherent in abortion, or restrictions on certain late-term abortion techniques. In addition, it would force the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts the use of Federal funding for abortions, and invalidate the ability of religiously-based hospitals or clinics to refuse to perform abortions based on the violation of their consciences. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the Democratic 2008 Presidential candidate, became a co-sponsor of the 2007 Senate version of the bill (S. 1173)"

These quotes are from Sen. Obama's website (to read other statements, from his website, about this issue, click here):"When South Dakota passed a law banning all abortions in a direct effort to have Roe overruled, I was the only candidate for President to raise money to help the citizens of South Dakota repeal that law. When anti-choice protesters blocked the opening of an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic in a community where affordable health care is in short supply, I was the only candidate for President who spoke out against it. And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president.""Throughout my career, I've been a consistent and strong supporter of reproductive justice, and have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America."

This Freedom of Choice Act would create an absolute right to abortion that would override any federal, state or local law that simply "interfered with" that right, no matter how compelling the justification. The American Center for Law and Justice states "The bill would invalidate the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act."Honestly, I didn't really understand exactly what Partial-Birth abortions were, so I googled it. To see a diagram of the procedure from a Partial-Birth Abortion, click here.

Now, I've never said anything political on this blog (I don't think). I don't even talk about politics very much in my daily life. There are so many people that could discuss politics, and the two candidates, far better than I. But, if I'm being honest, I don't understand how it's possible to justify support for someone who openly says this Freedom of Choice Act is the first thing he'd sign as President. How can other issues compare in importance to those that follow Christ? To take it a step further, which of the many issues discussed in this election would Jesus Christ value the most?

I really don't mean to offend anyone...I still love and support friends I have that disagree with me. My heart and mind has just been about to pop with these issues though, and I just had to talk about it. If nothing else, I hope everyone reading this will research this issue for themselves. Let me also say that I know we serve an all-powerful, Sovereign God who is in complete control...no matter who is President.